TO BEING A BIG MENACE AND BACK!

Playing Khilji wasn’t easy. But, a psychiatrist, a haircut, losing 10kg and a London trip are helping Ranveer Singh get back to being him

Actors often undergo intense makeovers to fit their roles, but sometimes, those transformations can be quite striking. A notable case is actor Ranveer Singh, whose fans went nuts when his transformation for the role of Khalji dynasty ruler Alauddin Khilji in Padmaavat (earlier known as Padmavati) was revealed in the film’s first trailer. But what exactly did Ranveer’s intense makeover entail? For starters, Ranveer gained almost 10kg to achieve his bulkier avatar, before losing it again.

Apparently, Ranveer worked out twice-a-day for sixdays-a-week. His regimen, which also aimed to improve his flexibility, focused on movement patterns, mobility drills and strength training. He also did conditioning workouts such as high intensity interval training with push-ups and burpees, as well as power moves like deadlifts and squats.

As for his diet, Ranveer reportedly maintained an energy-rich and sugar-free diet, which meant he was off sugar for six months before the shoot began and another six months during the schedules. The actor was also advised to take an extra day off every week, besides his cheat days.

In fact, Ranveer readily admits that this was the longest he has lived with a character or shot for a film in his eight-year career. “I was the first to start the shoot in November in 2016, and I was the last to finish late last year. It required a lot of energy and took a lot out of me. Let’s put it this way: it really affected me,” he told us earlier.

Apart from the physical effort, Ranveer’s passion to get into the skin of the character took a toll on him mentally as well. In fact, he went into complete seclusion to “become the cruel ruler”. So much so that the character and its negativity resulted in his friends and family growing concerned about the way he went about his part, and the actor eventually had to visit a psychiatrist to get back to normalcy.

“I was very consumed with the character, as I was shooting for 12-14 hours every day, especially as this was a character thhat is very far from whoo I am [in real life]. The character definitely took mee deep and it will take me some time to cleanse it from my system,” said Ranveer, who took off to London, UK, for a week-long vacation t “exorcise Khilji” fromf his system.

“I shot the film for a full year, and I have to admit that living with Khilji for that long wasn’t easy. That’s why it then became a sorr of a process to shed the character,” said the actor, adding that his “haircut,, travelling and focus on other work” also helpedd him in the processs.

Ranveer Singh Ranveer had to gain about 10Kgg g his normal look (above) to the bulky physique (top) needed for his role as Alauddin Khilji